General take-off: the first universal external drone control station was created in the Russian Federation

Russian engineers have developed the first universal station for external control of unmanned aerial vehicles. It allows you to interact with all types of drones — airplane, helicopter, multirotor and hybrid types. The device is equipped with a control panel, touch-screen LCD screen, shock-resistant and weather-resistant housing. The signal is transmitted over the radio channel. The station is ready to be put into mass production, however, at the first stages there will be difficulties associated with refinement, experts say.

Control by an external pilot

A team of scientists from the Aeromobility Directorate and the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) have created the country's first and one of the world's first universal external pilot station for controlling drones.

The device is a ground-based mobile complex that is designed for remote control and flight correction of unmanned aircraft, as well as for interaction with their functional systems. It serves as an alternative or complement to the built-in autopilot and allows the operator to manually control the flight of the drone and its payload.

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Unlike analogues that are tailored to specific models or manufacturers, the development allows for the control of all existing types of autonomous aircraft — aircraft, helicopter, multirotor and hybrid types.

— Control of an unmanned aircraft begins before takeoff. The operator needs to set a route, specify key points, altitude, speed, and additional tasks. For example, turning on the camera, shooting, stopping in the air. All this data is transmitted to the drone's control system. As soon as it takes off, a continuous exchange of information with the ground station begins," said Maxim Kalyagin, one of the authors of the development, chief designer of the MAI's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles center.

According to him, the equipment is made in the form of a portable device, which is equipped with an eight-inch LCD touch screen and a control panel. The station's body is resistant to external influences and temperature fluctuations over a wide range. In addition, a powerful battery is built into the system, which allows you to keep a charge for five hours of active operation.

As the scientist explained, the device communicates with the drone via a radio signal going through a controller installed in the drone itself. With the help of an external pilot station, it is possible to easily form the trajectories of the aircraft and quickly receive data from on—board instruments and payloads - video cameras, thermal imagers, lidars and other functional systems.

— The external pilot's station receives telemetry: data on coordinates, altitude, speed, battery charge, and operation of all systems. At the same time, the operator can send a command at any time: change course, descend, stop, return to the launch point or land," said Maxim Kalyagin.

He added that external control is in demand in the vast majority of unmanned aerial vehicles. Especially when operating in difficult conditions or in case of emergency situations. In particular, even in fully autonomous systems, this feature is useful for launching a drone, adjusting its flight path, and intercepting control in the event of an accident. Therefore, it is important for engineers to create reliable systems that are resistant to loads and under extreme operating conditions.

The universal principle of the station

The developer noted that the compatibility of the device with different types of drones eliminates the need for operators to use separate consoles for each device and adapt to new interfaces and control systems. This increases the reliability and quality of the interaction between the external pilot and the device under his control. The proposed systems are in demand in such areas as logistics, monitoring of territories and infrastructure, rescue and military operations.

According to Maxim Kalyagin, the external pilot station was tested and its effectiveness was confirmed on the line of unmanned aircraft created at MAI. This includes the Agrodron device, a multi—rotor drone designed for agricultural aviation operations, and the Flaw Detector, a quadcopter that specializes in detecting damage to industrial facilities. At the moment, the development is ready for mass production.

— Remote-controlled drones are now flying, riding, swimming and crawling. This is an old useful option. Everything is fine with her, except that each drone needs its own operator. In this regard, the versatility of the solution can be useful to the industry," Andrey Leus, a leading researcher at the Laboratory of special—purpose digital Systems at MIPT, commented on the development.

He added: versatility means that the station must support all existing communication interfaces, process them and correctly broadcast telemetry data. There may be difficulties with different manufacturers and types of devices.

Military expert Dmitry Kornev noted that universalization and unification save money for developers. Now each drone has its own control system, so the cost of the device from MAI should be less than the current cost of creating UAV control systems.

"At the same time, it is important to understand that if the communication protocol with such a unified station is opened, the damage will be many times greater than if the communication protocol with a specific type of drone is hacked," the specialist emphasized. — Now, to intercept any UAV, you need to open it every time. Here, he will get access to all drones at once. Therefore, it will be necessary to create certain protection systems.

We also need to create a standard that will be supported by UAV manufacturers and the military. And this is very difficult, Dmitry Kornev believes.

— An external pilot is any operator who controls a drone. Both the devices themselves and the control systems vary in their complexity and autonomy. Specialists have developed a sufficiently technological station, it will allow controlling large reconnaissance drones or attack UAVs," Sergei Kurapov, a researcher at the MGUTU named after K.G. Razumovsky, said in a conversation with Izvestia.

According to the expert, the uniqueness of the development lies in the fact that it is one of the first Russian high-tech drone control systems. Moreover, it can be scaled independently of foreign manufacturers. The weaknesses of the proposed equipment may manifest themselves in the microcircuits that make up the station, its firmware and reliable communication with the drone. This is generally normal, since when launching, for example, foreign-made stations, it takes at least six months to collect the first reviews and improve the product.

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Difficulties are also seen depending on Chinese components, Sergey Kurapov said, and the high cost at the initial stage of production, while the production of large batches has not yet been established. However, Russia is steadily increasing the production of its component base and allocating subsidies to manufacturers.

— External control systems for drones have existed since such devices appeared. However, the drones themselves are usually the focus of attention, while the ground component is forgotten. It is encouraging that MAI is working on this topic. I hope they will implement the possibility of connecting a helmet, because it allows you to immerse yourself in flight and improve the quality of control," explained Dmitry Kuzyakin, General Director of the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions.

He noted that there is a shortage of personnel in Russia regarding the production of drones, the creation of ground equipment, and the training of personnel and engineers.